Do I listen to the people I love?
You are home, but you are still thinking about work. What happens when someone wants to talk to you?
A short read for your day
Someone starts to tell you about their day. Your phone lights up. You glance down and say, “Go on. I’m listening.”
A moment later, you have to ask them to say it again.
This can happen at dinner, in a meeting, or on a walk. You look at the screen and miss what the person is saying.
Sometimes a call really cannot wait. Sometimes you are tired or worried. Being there for someone does not mean you can be free at every moment.
But how often do you ask the people you love to wait while you check one more thing?
The people around us do not get to see all our good plans. They see what we do. We may mean to show that they matter, yet leave them feeling like one more thing to fit in.
You miss out, too. You may miss a joke, a worry, or something they have been waiting to tell you. They may stop talking when they see that you are busy.
It is easy to think that you can hear the story later. But the people you love are part of the life you work so hard to build. How much of that life are you missing?
What would the person across from you say it feels like to spend time with you?
A question for your day
Who needs you to put the phone down and listen?
Read The Tricycle Way
Sanjog Aul was working hard for his family but missing their lives. Read a scene from his book and see what led him to write it.